The world's population is getting healthier and part of that reason for that is sanitation - but a larger population and a still limited infrastructure means a complex and multi-dimensional approach is needed to manage a rising tide of solid waste

There is no magic bullet solution like importing modern trucks or technologies or to improve roads. The challenges are daunting - the World Bank’s Urban Development department estimates that the amount of municipal solid waste will reach 2.2 billion tons per year over the next decade. 

“I always say when I go to cities, if somebody comes with a magical solution for the waste management situation of the city, be scared about it,” said Lilliana Abarca-Guerrero of the Costa Rica Institute of Technology and Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. “There are no magical solutions or quick fixes in waste management. There are paths to follow for the prevention, reduction, reuse, recycle and safe disposal of waste.”

Based on an analysis of available data, Abarca-Guerrero and colleagues have outlined the basic elements and aspects that must be taken into consideration for a successful waste management system. Some of the key conclusions are as follows:

· Waste management involves many players and communication among them is key.

· A successful waste management system must consider technological solutions along with “environmental, socio-cultural, legal, institutional and economic linkages.”

· Financial resources are required to obtain the skilled personnel, infrastructure, and equipment needed to implement waste management plans..

· Decision makers must be well informed with access to reliable data.

“I’ve always said that if the developed world could manage the situation, we can in the developing world because they are not smarter than we are,” stated Abarca-Guerrero. She means that the developing countries can, using their own resources, face the challenges. Also, the developing world countries must not be tempted by the idea that their problems can be solved by buying modernized equipment as seen in other parts of the world.

“We don’t need to apply technologies such as the ones used in the developed world, but we can see how the system works and develop our own best practices,” she says. “Maybe in the U.S. or Netherlands, you can use mechanized trucks with totally automated arms picking up everything. We may need a horse and cart collecting the waste if that is what we have available.”

The paper, which includes a questionnaire for characterizing waste management in any city, is freely available for download in English. Abarca-Guerrero says she plans to make it available in Spanish as well.

Citation: “Solid waste management challenges for cities in developing countries” by Lilliana Abarca Guerrero, Eindhoven University of Technology and Costa Rica Institute of Technology, Ger Maas, Eindhoven University of Technology, and William Hogland, Linnaeus University, doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2012.09.008.